Top for furniture.



E.0H NSTRAND. 4

TOP FOR FURNITURE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT- 7, 1912.

1,168,106, Patented Jan. 11, 1916.

- 15 I 3mm mamas snares ENOCH OHNSTRAND, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO U. S. STE'ELFURNITURE PATENT 'orrrea.

COMPANY, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

TO]? FOR FURNITURE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 11, 1916.

'. Application filed September 7, 1912. Serial No. 719,246. I

-of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tops for Furniture, which improvement is fully set forth .in the following specification and show in covering, while at the same time preventing the formation of crevices which will collec dirt, dust and the like.

to provide a sheet metal top with a covering, the parts being so constructed that a wooden -top is simulated. v

To these and other ends the invention consists of certain parts and combinations of place; Fig. 3 is a detail view of a portion of the blank from which one of t e top plates is formed; Fig. 4 is a ver ical section through another embodiment of the invention; and Fig. 5 is a detail vertical section through still another embodiment of the invention.

In carrying out this invention, the top. -may be supported upon a frame 1 in any suitablemanner', so as to projectbeyond the same.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the top comprises a base formed of two sheet metal plates 2 and 3 supported one upon the other and riveted or otherwise secured together as at 4. The plate 3 may be formed from a rectangular blank such as shown in Fig. 3, notched at its corners at 5 p and bent beyond the supporting frame and between the notches downwardly, outwardly and upwardly to provide ehannels4 along the" edges of the plate, the walls .of the Still another object of the invention is.

notches 5 being welded together after the channels are formed so that one continuous and marginal groove is formed. The 'outer wall 6 of this groove extends above the top surfaces of the plates 2 and 3 and has its free edge turned inwardlyand reduced to provide substantially a sharp or knife edge.

The plate 2 has its edges projecting over the groove or channel 4 and lying in proximity to the wall .6 of said groove.-

The covering for the top is in the form of a thin sheet or veneer 8 of suitable material. In the present instance, linoleum is employed. I have found that linoleum is an ideal covering for furniture tops. It will not absorb ink, is not readily injured and, 1

as it may be readily washed, can be kept in a clean and sanitary condition. It may be made of any thickness but I prefer to use thatwhich is about one-fourth of an inch thick. Preferably, the upper corners of this covering. are cut away orrounded "at 9, so that it will more readily cooperate "with the inwardly turned sharp edges 7.

To place the covering 8 in position on.the base it is bulged upwardly at its center so as to permit its edges to be received within and below the upper edges of the walls 6,

cement being. firstappliedto the upper face of the plate 2. When the covering is flattened, its edges 9 will move outwardly and beneath the inwardly turned portions of the wall 6, forcing the knife edges 7 slightly into the edges of the linoleum, as shown in Fig. 2, this being due to the fact that the -.ourve of the inwardly turned portions is slightly different. from the curve of the,

rounded portions 9. Inthis way, the

edge 7 penetrates, to a slight degree, the

- edges of the covering and prevents the formation of crevices in which dirt and the like will' collect, while at the same time, overhanging the edges of the covering" andclenching or holding it in position. The plate 2 is provided in order to support the edges of the covering located over the cha'nnels 4.

In order to bulge the center of the covering for fitting the sameto the base the two 'i I 5, only a single top plate 3* is employed and is secured to the frame 1 so as to project beyond the same. Instead of simulating the thickness of wood, by providing a channeled portion as in Figs. 1 and 2, this may be effected by bending the edges of the top downwardly or laterally with reference to the plane of the top as at 12, thence inwardly as at 13, and finally upwardly as at 14. The retaining means embodies separate strips 15 which have their lower edges turned inwardlyat 16 to cooperate with the portions 13 and their upper edges turned inwardly at 17 and provided with knife edges 7, as in' the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 3. The strips may be riveted to v the top as at 18 or may have integral projections 19 which are threaded and passed through openings in the portions 12, their I inner ends being engaged by nuts 20 as in Fig. 5.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 4: and 5, the linoleum veneer is placed upon the top plate 3 before the retaining means are attached to said top plate. When these retaining plates are secured in place, their upper knife or sharp edges 7 are forced into the linoleum or veneer in the same manner as that disclosed in Figs. 1 and 3.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that there has been provided a top for tables, desks and other office furniture in which the covering is attached in a simple and efi'ecti've manner without the provision of crevices for the collection of dirt.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A top for furniture comprising a base provided with a central opening, a portion surrounding the base and turned inwardly above the same, and a flexible covering resting upon said base with portions of its edges located beneath the inwardly turned portion, said covering being adapted to be fitted to(the base bybulging'the same centrally by an instrument introduced through the central opening.

2. A top for furniture comprising a sheet sharp edges on the base.

- memos edges of said upwardly extending portions lying above the top surface of the base and 1 said base and having its edges firmly engaged below the upper face thereof by the 4. A top for furniture comprising a sheet of material bent downwardly, outwardly and upwardly 'near its'edges, the extreme. edges lying above the top surface of said sheet, a second sheet of material supported on the first named sheet and bridging the channels formed in the first named -sheet, and a sheet of pliable covering material resting upon the second named sheet to. be sup-' "within the upwardly extending portions to be protected at its edges by said portions and means for supporting the edges of said pliable covering over said channels.

. ENOCH OHNSTRAND.

VVitnessesf Gnonsn W. CoorER,

Annn'rn E. @HNSTRAND.

being turned inwardly and provided with a sharp edge, and a covering supported on 

